Russia aims big, can build 10 more n-reactors in India

New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) A day after India and Russia inked a civil nuclear accord that envisages Russia building four additional reactors in Tamil Nadu, Russian ambassador to India Vyacheslav Trubnikov Saturday raised the stakes saying that his country was capable of supplying 10 more reactors to India. “We are capable of supplying 10 more nuclear plants,” the envoy replied when asked whether Russia had discussed new sites for the construction of Russian-design nuclear power plants with India.

“It’s for the Indian government to decide,” he said.

Hours after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ended his three-day visit to India, the envoy also said fuel assurances and guarantees will be built into the nuclear reactors Russia designs for India.

“The signing of the agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with Russia marks a new milestone in the history of our cooperation with Russia in the field of nuclear energy,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said after the inking of the civil nuclear agreement.

Alluding to the signing of a pact between the co-chairs of the CEOs’ council, the envoy also struck an upbeat note about expanding economic ties between the two countries.

The two countries also sought to infuse new energy in their sluggish economic ties by setting a target of $10 billion bilateral trade by 2010 and signed a $1.2 billion deal on the purchase of 80 MI-17V-5 Russian helicopters by India.

Three economy-related agreements were signed, including a memorandum of understanding between the Securities and Exchange Board of India and Federal Financing Service and an MoU between the two co-chairs of the CEOs’ Council - Mukesh Ambani, managing director of Reliance Industries Limited, and Vladimir Yevtushenkov, chairman of Sistema Group.